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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When was Walter Benjamin Born?
(a) 1472 A.D.
(b) 1892 A.D.
(c) 1705 A.D.
(d) 1962 A.D.

2. Who wrote "The Crack-Up"?
(a) E. B. White.
(b) Edward Hoagland.
(c) F. Scott Fitzgerald.
(d) Ou-Yank Hsiu.

3. What do Seymour Krim and Mary McCarthy have in common?
(a) Both lost their parents at a young age.
(b) They were married to each other.
(c) Both espoused Communist views.
(d) They both have a fascination with food.

4. Who wrote "Hashis in Marseilles"?
(a) Michel de Montaigne.
(b) Henry David Thoreau.
(c) Walter Benjamin.
(d) Maria Edgeworth.

5. What is the author's opinion of public executions in "The Execution of Tropmann?"
(a) Public executions are thrilling.
(b) Public executions are tools of the class system.
(c) Public executions should be ended.
(d) Public executions are necessary for law and order.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which famous author is mentioned in the essay "Once a Tramp, Always...?"

2. M.F.K. Fisher's writing revolves around what subject?

3. Who wrote "My Confession?"

4. Which is NOT one of the subjects written about by George Orwell?

5. Which of the following is NOT a well-known story written by Robert Louis Stevenson?

Short Essay Questions

1. What views is Henry David Thoreau well known for? How did he believe one should live one's life?

2. What kind of literature did Virginia Woolf write? What was a common focus that united her work?

3. How did Virginia Woolf's personal background impact her work?

4. What subject dominated the writings of George Orwell? Name three specific things George Orwell wrote about.

5. What is the subject of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Crack-Up?" What extended metaphor does he use?

6. What is Jose Luis Borges' perspective on his own increasing blindness, as revealed in his essay "Blindness?"

7. M.F.K. Fisher is known for writing primarily about what subject? Beyond this subject, what biographical details has she confronted in her writing?

8. What is the subject of Krim's "For My Brothers and Sisters in the Failure Business"? What feelings does Krim express in the essay?

9. What is the subject of Junichiro Tanizaki's "In Praise of Shadows?" What hope does Tanizaki express at the end of the essay?

10. What tone does Mary McCarthy use in "My Confession?" How does she approach herself as well as the subjects of her essays?

(see the answer keys)

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